In the manufacture of slide fasteners having fastening elements molded onto longitudinal support cords or threads woven to the edge of the slide fastener tapes, gaps in the fastening elements are usually produced by severing only the head portions of the fastening elements leaving the leg portions attached to the tapes. The remaining segments of leg portions can be irritating to skin contacting the slide fastener, are difficult to sew across when attaching to a garment and tend to become jammed in a slider during movement of the slider.
The prior art, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,540,090, 3,611,545, 3,711,930 and 4,131,223, contains a number of methods and apparatus for gapping a slide fastener wherein the fastening elements are completely removed from the sections of slide fastener tapes being gapped. However, the prior art methods and apparatus are employed for gapping different types of slide fasteners than the present woven type of slide fastener wherein the elements are molded on a longitudinal supporting member woven in the edge of a tape; such prior art methods and apparatus are unsuitable for completely removing the elements from slide fastener tapes with the elements mounted on a longitudinal support member woven in the tape.